Thermo-float trap.



v No. 834,991. PATENTED Nov. 6,- 1906.

J. F.`M0BLROY.

' THERMO FLOAT TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1 ini 24 7 PATENTED NOV. 6, 1906.

J. T. MGELROY. THERMO FLOAT TRAP. APPLICATION FILED JUNEIG, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR 4UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J AMES F. MCELROY, OF ALBANY, EW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CONSOLIDATED CAR-HEATINGCOMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

THERMO-FLQAT TRAP.'

Specification of Lettere Patent. Applimion ma June 16,1906. sumiso. 322.965.

Patented Nov. 6, 1906.

usefuly Improvements in Thermo-Float Traps, of which the following s ecification and ac' companying drawi s ustrate the invent1on in a form which now regard as the best out of the various Vforms in which it may be embodied. i

Thisinvention relates to devices for drain' steam-heating systems; audit has for its object to provide means for discharging both the water of condensation and the air from such systems irrespective of the tem erature ofthe water and without substantia y libervating the steam. No mechanism,'so far as I am aware, has heretofore been contrived, which will accomplish'that result.

My invention 1sv es cially applicable to car-heating systems, t ough not wholly confined thereto. At theresent time steam car-heaters arev usuall ained by means of thermostatic tra s, w 'Ich .open a discharge-4 -valve when the ischarge is suiciently cool to allow the thermostatic element'to contract and `close it when the steam be ins to escape. Such traps will discharge the alr which'a'ccumulates 1n the pipes when the system is cold, but they will obstruct `the passalgle of'water which is so hot as to expand the 't ermostatic that .water element, the consequence be' frequently accumulates in the pipesto' a considerable depth. This water is very troublesome, especlally when the system is a combi-- nation steam and hot water system containing` water in the radiator-pipes heated by meansv of steam-drums. In such systems the circulation depends upon the formation of l.water down to t e level of t e float are yetV unable to discharge either air or the small permanent-pool o freezes and puts the trap out of operation. I have formerly attempted to remedy this last difficulty in a oat-trap by means of a checkmy invention.

water which is necessary` to buoy the float. This small pool frequently I valve for dra' the float-chamber, said valve being close by the pressure .of the steam, but since said valve was also closed by when'steam is first turned on the vtrap became air-bound.

My present invention not only combines the advantages of the different types of traps heretofore employed, but it attalns new results which are not attainable by any of the prior traps used alone.

My trap in its preferred form includes two the pressure of any air present in the pipe.

discharge-valves, one being operated by a ioat and the other by a thermostat, and the thermostatic valve is preferably so arranged as to work below the operative range of the float-valve, and thus remove the pool of water from beneath the lioat after the .float-valve has ceased itsv action, the conse uence be' that the oat-valve takes care o the norma disch e when the heat' systemv is Working, an the thermostatic va ve discharges the air when thesystem is started up and drains Consequently therel is no freezing, and the heating system is enabled to work perfectly under all conditions.

Of the accompanying drawings', Figure 1 lrepresents a vertical section showing a thermo-float trap` constructed according to ig. 2 represents a erspective diagram of a car-heater with t e trap ap lied thereto.

he same reference characters indicate the same arts in both views. Re erring to'Fig. .1, 10 indicates a casing having a threaded socket 11 at its upper end for the support of the trap and the passage of the float-chamber after steam is shut off.,

the main steam-pi e in a well known manner,

so that the trap is ept hot so long assteam is on the car. This casing contains a single wateraccumulating chamber 12 contained partly in the' main body of the casing and partly in a removable side member 13 thereof, said casing having oneor more inlets 14 for the water of condensation, air, and steam from the steam-heating system. 15is a dischargeoutlet formed in a removable valve-seat member 16 and controlled by a float-valvel 17, which seats downwardl with the discharge-flow and is guided wit thechambe'r 12 by upwardly-extending guide-arms' 18,

formed on the valve-seat member. A cylindrical strainer 19surrounds theapproach to the valve 15. This outlet is rather small in relative size, since it only has to discharge water, but is large enough to take care of all the water of condensation coming from the heating system to which the trap is applied.

Valve 17 connects by a link 20 with an angle-lever 21, having on one arm the float 22, which operates said valve. This loat is preferably made heavy and strong to remain water-tight, and its weight is partly counterbalanced by a spring 23, acting on the other arm of the lever. This increases the buoyant e'ect due to the displacement ofthe float and enablesk the float to operate when somewhat less than half. immersed.

24 is a second discharge-opening leading from the chamber 12 at about the same level as the opening 15 and formed in a removable valve-seat member 25, surrounded by a sediment-collecting trough 26, which may have aisuitable blow-ofi'. (Not shown?. The discharge-opening is covered by a strainer 27, This opening 24 is controlled by a valve 28,

seated upwardly against the discharge-flow and operated by. an external thermostatic cell. 29 on well-known principles, the valve being normally pressed open by a spring 30, which is overcome when the hot discharge eX ands the contents of cell 29.

Iche normal operation of this tra when hot Water isbeing received in the c amber 12 fnom the heating system, theA thermostatic valve 28 remains closed, and the float-valve 1:7 handles the accumulation of wa'ter, being opened whenvthewater has risen so far as to sustain the float- 22 and closing when the water is below that level. It is apparent that the valve 17 would be unable to discharge ain even if it could liberate the water down to the lip of the valve-seat, for the valve` would have to. close when the water had reached that level. I have arranged this trap sot'hat the critical level of the water is considerably above the level of the dischargeo ening 15. It will be a panent also that t e float-valve could not dispose of the pool of-Water required to sustain the float, and this pooliof water-would freeze and disable the trap: Thermostat-valve 28 operates to supply the deficiencies in the operation of floatvalve 17.. When steam is first turned into the oold'pipes, it drives before it the air, and valve 28 beingA then open allows the air to escape andthe steam to follow it and iill the pipes. It also prevents the trap from getting air-bound and holding back water in the pipes. Valve 28 also-disposes of the first cold water of condensation. As soon as steam enters the trap it closes valve 28 by thermostatic action, and thereafter the float-valve 17 disposes of water of condensation. When the system is shut down and the trap cools ofi', valve 28- again opens and drainsthe pool of Water from chamber 12 down to a point below the float 22 and slightly below the valve 17. Any moisture Which then freezes in the casing cannot affect subsequent proper working of the trap. i

Fig. 2 shows my improved trap applied to a combination steam and hot-water system. 10 indicates the trap receiving drainage from the steam-drums 31, here Shown as four in number, located in two water-circuits, one for each side of the car, which I have designated by the numeral 32. 33 indicates the steampipes. The direction of the steam circulation is indicated by arrows within the pipes, and the direction of Water circulation by arrows outside of the pipes. Heretoforc, with the thermostatic traps commonly applied to hot-water systems of this type, hot water would accumulate to the level of'drums situated similarly to the lower drums 31, and would sometimes partly fill the drums located above the Baker heater 34. Such water is at about 170 Fahrenheit, while the drum requires for effective operation steam of perhaps 230 Fahrenheit. My improved trap avoids this trouble and keeps the drums and steam-pipes clear for the proper circulation of steam.

I claim- 1. In combination, a steam-heating system, outlets leading from a low-draining point thereof, discharge-valves controlling said outlets, atemperature-responsive device controlling one of said discharge-valves, and awater-level responsive device controlling the other discharge-valve.

2. In combination, a steam-heating system having a water-drainage outlet, a levelresponsive device for automatically controlling said outlet, and tem )erature-controlled means for automatically raining the system to a point below the operative range of said level-responsivedevice.

3. A trap for steam-heating s stems comprising a water-collecting cham er having a discharge-valve, a level-responsive device in said chamber causing said valve to be opened when the water rises to, a predetermined level, a second discharge-valve adapted to drain said chamber below that level, and a thermostat controlling the latter valveand subject to the temperature of the drainage.

4. A thermo-float tra for steam-heating svstems comprising a oat-chamber and a float therein controlling the tmp-discharge, and thermostatic means for automatically draining said float-chamber.

5. A thermo-float trap for steam-heating systems com rising a collectingchamber containing a oat and having two dischargeoriiiees controlled by valves one of which is operated by the float and the other of which drains the collecting-chamber below the operative range of the float-valve, and a thermostat controlling the last said valve and subject to the temperature of the drainage.

6. A thermo-float trap for steam-heating TOO IXO

a casing water-collectlng chamber with two trolling man s stems com nsmg' a collect' chamber havi'ng two; {vater-discharge diilets in its lower portion, valves controlling said outlets and seating, one with the discharge-How and the other t said ow, an external thermostat controllilche latter valve and located in the line of its barge and a float in said chamber controlling the operated b water accumulating above the level of sai outlets.

- 7. A thermo-Boat trap for steam-heating.

systems com ha a single bargeoutlets, and devices, one responsive to temperature and the other to water-level, conthe respective outlets and each adapted to disc water from said chamber which is not discharged bythe other.

8.v The combination, with a steam-heating system, of level-responsivemeans for draining water of condensation therefrom, and

tm saidnlve and f mechanismfor automatically Athe levelnsive means below the of the latters operation and inclu a temconduit and drum irrespective of the temperature of the water and without substantially liberating the steam.

In testimon whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in t e resence of two subscribing day of June, 1,906. lJAMES F. MCELROY. Witn:

BEuLan Canna, Emmer D. JANSEN.

witnesses, the 13t 

